Discovering Parmigiani Fleurier’s Hidden Rattrapante Watches

Editor-in-Chief Vivek Amarnani explores Parmigiani Fleurier’s innovative rattrapante complications and the beauty in their details.

Arguably Parmigiani Fleurier’s most important collection, the Tonda PF model line is the brand’s blank canvas for their most distinct complications. Following the release of the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, Parmigiani has developed and delivered two unique rattrapante-equipped timepieces meant with unorthodox complications; the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante and the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. As Parmigiani Fleurier expands this collection of ground-breaking timepieces, it’s important to take a close look to see what makes the Tonda PF Rattrapante watches an excellent piece for years to come.

Parmigiani Fleurier, a product of the mid-1990s, is one of the youngest watchmaking houses in the world of haute horology. Despite the brand being only 27 years old, Parmigiani Fleurier is far from its stage of infancy. Nearly every single component in Parmigiani watches is produced in-house – notably, the brand produces its own oscillator, screws, and pins, in addition to its case, dials, and movements. Parmigiani joins brands Bovet and Chopard in being the only three watchmakers submitting timepieces to the Fondation Qualité Fleurier, a certification process that ensures every timepiece is produced and assembled entirely in Switzerland with only high-quality materials including a COSC-certified chronometer.

The brand was founded by Michel Parmigiani, a highly skilled restorer who had been working on clocks and watches since the 1970s. Parmigiani was involved with restoration projects for the famed Patek Philippe museum, supplied complication components for Vacheron Constantin, and was entrusted within elite collector circles. In 1996, Parmigiani was able to open his own watchmaking house with investment from the Sandoz Foundation, which spent the early 2000s acquiring manufacturers Vaucher, Elwin, Quadrance and Habillage, Atokalpa, Les Atisans Boîtiers, providing Parmigiani Fleurier with high-quality Swiss-made in-house components.

Authentic and unwavering in their originality, Parmigiani remains true to their own story and their original values. To this day, their facilities in Fleurier include a restoration workshop dedicated to restoring timepieces from the 20th century. In an industry of repetition, revival, and re-edition, Parmigiani Fleurier’s devotion to delivering unique high-quality timepieces is worth the praise.

The GMT Rattrapante

Wrapped in a 40mm stainless steel satin-polished case (water resistant to 60m) with swept lugs and a platinum coin-edge bezel, the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante stands at only 10.7mm. Closely resembling the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor’s refined dial, the GMT Rattrapante omits the six o’clock date window complication and adds an 18ct rose-gold hour hand, joining the rhodium-plated white gold hour and minute hands. The skeletonized handset draws attention to the dial behind it – an intricate, fluid Grain d’Orge or ‘barley-grain’ guilloché dial in a deep, rich Milano blue. A stainless steel bracelet completes the design with both satin-polished and brushed elements, uniquely transitioning from a five-link bracelet to a three-link construction.

Along the side of the case, a stainless steel pusher stretches from the 7 o’clock pusher to the 8 o’clock pusher, its subtle sweep blending into the bracelet’s tapered links. A crown stands at the traditional 9 o’clock position with the addition of a rose gold button pusher within, made to match the skeletonized rose gold GMT hand on the dial. Together, these two pushers enable Parmigiani’s world-first GMT rattrapante functionality.

Parmigiani’s unique interpretation of a GMT and their clever use of a rattrapante are what bring the watch to life, which is an otherwise even more simplified Tonda PF. When used normally, the two-hour hands are superimposed, hiding the rose gold GMT hand and creating a time-only piece – an elevated, refined watch in the simplest sense, without anything to distract from the beautiful artistry of the dial guilloché or the curves of the case and its lugs. But when the 8’clock pusher is engaged, the silver-tone hand (now a local-time hand with GMT functionality) leaps forward an hour with every press, leaving behind the rose-gold hour hand designated to represent home time. To hide the GMT hand, the rose gold crown pusher can be pressed, engaging the movement’s rattrapante module and quickly returning the silver-tone hand to its position above the rose-gold home-time hand. With these two seemingly simple pushers, Parmigiani has created the ideal traveler’s watch – a beautiful GMT completely invisible when unneeded, brought alive when traveling to different time zones.

This reference PFC905-1020001-100182 with the Milano blue dial is powered by the in-house PF051 micro-rotor movement. The calibre is composed of 215 components and 31 jewels, delivering a power reserve of 48 hours at a 3 Hz beat rate.

The Minute Rattrapante

Following the release of the GMT Rattrapante a year prior, Watches & Wonders 2023 saw another ingenious Rattrapante-equipped timepiece from Parmigiani Fleurier: the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante. While the aforementioned GMT Rattrapante was not a true GMT (as the GMT hand did not function on a 24-hour scale), this newest release is exactly what it claims to be – a mechanical countdown timer.

Rather than a rose-gold GMT hour hand, this edition features a rose-gold minute hand in addition to the normal rhodium-plated gold handset. Operated through the use of the two teardrop-shaped pushers at the 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock positions, the watch reveals the additional minute hand as it leaps forward in increments – jumping forward in five-minute increments through the use of the 8 o’clock pusher, and one-minute increments through the 10 o’clock pusher. Once the desired time is set, the complication functions precisely like a diving bezel; when the running rhodium-plated minute hand reaches the user-set rose-gold minute hand, the appropriate amount of time has elapsed. The minutes hands can be returned to their superimposed nature through a simple press of the rose-gold button within the crown.

The Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante features a 40mm stainless steel case with a thickness of 10.7mm and 60m water resistance. The bracelet, bezel, indices, and crown are the standard components present in the Tonda PF collection. This example (PFC904-1020001-100182) is presented with a ‘sand grey’ dial with Grain d’Orge guilloché, powered by the hand-decorated 271-component and 35 jewel automatic Calibre PF052. Beating at 3 Hz, the movement delivers a 48-hour power reserve through the use of a self-winding rose-gold micro-rotor.

A Lesson in Subtlety

The Tonda PF model line is available in tri-register chronographs, annual calendars, skeletonized dials, and even tourbillon variations, but Parmigiani made a conscious decision to pair the rare rattrapante complication with the most pared-down Tonda PF variation thus far. The watch is exceedingly and purposefully subdued; depending on the state of the watch, it could appear as a simple time-only watch or a minimalist GMT – from even a few feet away, you’d be hard-pressed to think the timepiece piece was particularly noteworthy.

Above all, restraint makes this timepiece what it is. Parmigiani’s intention to mask the GMT and minute hand is deceiving – creating a mirage and an illusion. The watch is infinitely more complicated than meets the eye, housing the rattrapante complication, a complication reserved for the highest tier of watchmaking due to how difficult it is to design and how costly it is to manufacture. Traditionally used in complex chronographs and grand complication perpetual calendars, the rattrapante complication has never been used other than for a split-seconds chronograph, and certainly never for a GMT or minute hand function. A countdown-timer complication is seldom seen in mechanical watches, and delivering the complication in a refined package is no small feat.

The watches are deceivingly simple down to their individual design components- the dial, case, bracelet, and teardrop-shaped lugs and pushers all pair together well with great proportions. The sleek curves and impeccable finishing encompass the golden ratio design and are well-suited for most wrists. Under the macro lens, Parmigiani’s prowess becomes clearer. What seems to be a criss-cross guilloché pattern is actually an intricate Grain d’Orge texture adorning the dial with small, flowing waves, extending the motif of fluidity to the watch’s face. The stainless steel bracelet displays Parmigiani’s design and finishing know-how, being just complex enough to compliment the watch’s mostly minimal aesthetic, remaining appealing and refined despite its unorthodox taper from a five-link to three-link bracelet and its use of both polished and brushed elements.

The Tonda PF line is precisely as Parmigiani claims – a ‘sartorial’ watch that feels tailored to the wearer. The dial appears weaved as if it could be an extension of one’s suit sleeve. The timepiece’s silhouette is fluid, elegant, and tasteful, inviting a sense of comfort and familiarity achieved by the watch’s proportions and respect for the golden ratio of design. An exceptional level of care has been put into the way the watch appears on the wrist – its vibe is not one frequently experienced on other pieces. Despite its sporty 60m water resistance, cluttered stainless steel bracelet, and non-classic size, these timepieces feel truly refined, modest, and purposeful.

What Home Means to Parmigiani

Extending throughout the entirety of the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante is the message of the beauty and importance of home. In a mostly stainless steel construction, the prominent precious metals displayed in the timepiece are the rose-gold accents on the GMT hand, crown pusher, micro-rotor, and mechanical gear train – components specifically chosen to establish a sort of motif. Traditionally, dual-time GMT watches color the travel/local time hand with the watch’s accent color, but Parmigiani opted to reverse this and accent the home time hour hand with rose gold, serving as a reminder to the wearer that home is ‘precious.’ The heart of every automatic timepiece is the rotor, or self-winding module; at the core of the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante lies the 22k rose gold micro-rotor – the heart and soul of the watch.

There are many ‘romantic’ complications available from a variety of classic and contemporary brands; watch enthusiasts rave about the beautiful stories and ideas surrounding the moon phase complication – but in this allegory about the preciousness of home, Parmigiani has created something new and something incredibly special. While some may not be drawn to the modest beauty of Parmigiani’s approach here, many watch collectors are sure to cherish PF’s message.

Forward

It’s hard to say what the future of this concept holds for Parmigiani Fleurier. After delivering two exceptionally clever Rattrapante-equipped watches, Parmigiani has certainly earned good-will with watch enthusiasts – the brand has already sold through their production capacity for the remainder of 2023. These beautiful, thoughtful timepieces are a clear win for new brand management – Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terrini deserves an immense amount of credit.

In an industry where many felt that there was little room for new ideas, Parmigiani managed to deliver something entirely innovative and unique. As Parmigiani Fleurier gains its footing, I am reminded of Bvlgari’s positioning and growth in the 2010s with the introduction of the Octo Finissimo line – could the Tonda PF be a future classic timepiece?